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Tomas Rosicky returns in Czech Republic final squad for Euro 2016

Captain Tomas Rosicky has returned from injuries to lead the Czech Republic at the European Championship.

The creative midfielder, whose 10-year spell with Arsenal ended this month, was included in the final 23-man squad announced by coach Pavel Vrba on Tuesday.

Rosicky, who has made 101 international appearances, injured his knee in a Euro 2016 qualifier match against Iceland last June.

When he recovered, he was injured again playing for Arsenal in an FA Cup match against Burnley in January. The 35-year-old didn't play at all in the Premier League last season.

But he captained the Czechs to a 6-0 victory over Malta on Friday and is ready for Euro 2016, where they open against defending champion Spain on June 13, and also face Croatia and Turkey in Group D.

Watford's Matej Vydra, trimmed from the Czechs' preliminary squad last week, was the most notable name to miss out, and Sparta Prague's Lukas Marecek and Bohemians Prague's Patrik Schick were the final players cut on Tuesday.

The final squad:

Goalkeepers: Petr Cech (Arsenal), Tomas Vaclik (Basel), Tomas Koubek (Slovan Liberec)

Defenders: Theodor Gebre Selassie (Werder Bremen), Roman Hubnik (Viktoria Plzen), Pavel Kaderabek (Hoffenheim), Michal Kadlec (Sparta Prague), David Limbersky (Viktoria Plzen), Daniel Pudil (Sheffield Wednesday), Tomas Sivok (Bursaspor), Marek Suchy (Basel)

Midfielders: Vladimir Darida (Hertha Berlin), Borek Dockal (Sparta Prague), Daniel Kolar (Viktoria Plzen), Ladislav Krejci (Sparta Prague), David Pavelka (Kasimpasa), Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux), Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal), Jiri Skalak (Brighton), Josef Sural (Sparta Prague)

Forwards: David Lafata (Sparta Prague), Tomas Necid (Bursaspor), Milan Skoda (Slavia Prague)